In an analysis of 1.4 million Google searches during September, real estate business portal Globaledge on Monday announced that Spain was the most-searched international property destination among English-speaking Internet users.
According to the study, "Spain and its towns and regions outstripped France, which came second, by a ratio of over two to one." The most popular locations in Spain are Tenerife, Mallorca and Costa Blanca, all of which were more popular than Paris, the most-searched location in France, the study found.
"Most people in the overseas property industry would put France and Spain on a par, but these results suggest Spanish property is considerably more popular than previously thought," Ashley Rigg, Globaledge’s managing director, said in a statement.
Most surprising, according to the study, was Portugal’s position at the bottom of the list of 11 countries/regions, representing just 3 percent of the total searches.
"Although Portugal is often considered a top overseas property destination, it’s more of a niche market than many people think. It doesn’t get the tourist numbers of France, Spain or Italy, and the perception among consumers is that it’s an expensive place to buy property." Rigg said.
English-language search volume by country/region — September 2008
|
Position |
Country/Region |
Sept. Volume |
% of Total |
|
1 |
Spain |
393,617 |
27.9% |
|
2 |
France |
184,102 |
13.1% |
|
3 |
Italy |
129,396 |
9.2% |
|
4 |
Middle East |
121,835 |
8.6% |
|
5 |
Central & South America |
113,434 |
8.0% |
|
6 |
Bulgaria |
103,516 |
7.3% |
|
7 |
Cyprus |
101,121 |
7.2% |
|
8 |
Caribbean |
79,195 |
5.6% |
|
9 |
Eastern Europe (no Bulgaria) |
75,636 |
5.4% |
|
10 |
Turkey |
65,297 |
4.6% |
|
11 |
Portugal |
42,465 |
3.0% |
***
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